This week, 28 high school juniors from across the nation are visiting the University of Arkansas to take part in the Math, Science and Engineering Academy pre-college outreach program - known as M-SEA - in partnership with Fort Valley State University in Georgia.

Students have been attending classes and labs, and taking field trips that covered geology, hydrology, electrical engineering, solar power generation and 'big data' at the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. headquarters in Bentonville.  

Each year M-SEA culminates with the students creating and performing skits at the U of A that demonstrate the complex principles they have learned in the classroom.

The 2017 MSEA performance is free and open to the public. It will take place on Friday, June 16 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in Giffels Auditorium inside Old Main.

During the week leading up to performance, students learned geosciences skills with Steve Boss and J. Van Brahana, as well as electrical engineering skills with Robert Saunders. 

M-SEA is part of the Cooperative Development Energy Program at Fort Valley State University (CDEP) initiated over 30 years ago to aid in the introduction of academically talented minority and female students to the fields of energy, mathematics, earth science, biology, engineering and computer science. The mission of both programs is to work together creating a pipeline focused on the recruitment and placement of these scholars for professional careers in the energy industry. The University of Arkansas became a partner in 2010 with students attending the M-SEA program on our campus every summer since 2011.

To remain in the M-SEA program, students must maintain a B average in all math and science classes and receive at least a B on the exit test each summer. After successfully completing the program, students are offered a full scholarship to Fort Valley State University where they will study biology, chemistry or mathematics. Students will complete their coursework in three years taking 20+ hours a semester.

Students successfully completing degree requirements may then transfer to a partnering institution (including Georgia Tech, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Pennsylvania State University, University of Texas-Austin and University of Arkansas) to complete a second bachelor's degree in engineering, health physics or geosciences (only geosciences and engineering are offered at the U of A). Students will maintain their scholarship with adequate G.P.A for the following two years, then receive both bachelor's degrees.

"The program is a win for everyone," said Isaac J. Crumbly, founder of the two programs and Fort Valley State University's vice president for career and collaborative programs. "Fort Valley is able to attract and nurture talented students, who may otherwise not have considered a profession in STEM fields. Partners, like the University of Arkansas, are able to draw transfer students who have a proven track record of academic success in STEM disciplines. However, the biggest winner is the student who has been mentored through high school, exposed to career choices, receives a scholarship for two bachelor's degrees and guidance as they progress into either graduate programs or the professional world."  

Crumbly, two team members of CDEP and four college student counselors from Fort Valley State University provide student support and additional guidance as the M-SEA students learn new concepts and materials. Staff and counselors also help the students prepare for their closing ceremony. 

For more information on the Cooperative Developmental Energy Program or MSEA programs, please visit www.fvsu.edu/academics/cdep.  

About the Cooperative Developmental Energy Program: The Cooperative Developmental Energy Program has been operational for over 30 years under the direction of Fort Valley State University's Vice President for Career and Collaborative Programs and founder, Isaac J. Crumbly, a native of Forrest City, Arkansas. Crumbly was the recipient of the 2014 Bromery Award for Achievement in Advancing Diversity in the Geosciences from the Geological Society of America, was the 2010 recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of Arkansas, and has dedicated himself to making a significant increase in the number of minority and women entering the energy field.